Pad assembly



Sept. l2, 1967 Y. J. c. HELDER 3,341,097

FAD AS S EMBLY Filed May 5l, 1966 /Nl/EA/TR JAMES CURT/s HELDER Eon/ARD D. OBR/AN A 7 Toe/VE Y United States Patent O 3,341,097 PAD ASSEMBLY James Curtis Fielder, Downey, Calif., assgnor to Mathematical Systems Corporation, Anaheim, Calif., a corporation of California Filed May 31, 1966, Ser. No. 553,907 3 Claims. (Cl. 22S-93) ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Thisinvention relates to new and improved pad assemblies for use in removing parts of tabulating cards which arel separated from the remainder of such cards by perforation. In more particularity, the pad assembly of this invention, comprises a rigid flat supporting surface and an elastic layer on the top of the supporting surface, at least the top of the elastic pad being in the form of a layer of felted fibers so that the spring back response of the resilient material is delayed. By this means, when a tabulating card is laid upon the assembly, and a stylus is used to thrust out a part defined by perforation the part remains below the level of the card, and the felt surface retains the punched out part. Furthermore, in such assemblies or devices the thickness of the pad is related to the dimensions of the parts or areas separated by perforations so that the pad is capable of being deformed to allow an area or portion to be removed to be pushed away from the remainder of a tabulating card into the surface of the pad to a sufficient distance to separate the area or portion from the remainder of the card. The felt layer of the pad delays the spring back of the pad and serves as a friction layer to hold the punched out portion in position below the perforation. Preferably the overall dimensions and physical charactertistics of the pad are such that the principal portion of the card is supported in its original position during such removal.

Background punch machines.

It is considered that the use of such key punch machines with imperforate cards in order to create holes for tabulating purposes instead of the more wide spread use of cards having parts or areas to be removed for tabulating purposes which are separated from the remainder of such cards by perforations is related to problems in the removal of such parts or areas. It is relatively unsatisfactory to remove parts or areas which are separated from the remainder of the cards by perforations by manually holding such cards and placing an instrument against the parts or areas to be removed. Also with this procedure there is a significant danger of the cards themselves becoming bent or otherwise mutilated.

Various efforts have been made at developing specialized devices for the removal of parts or areas which are separated from the remainder of tabulating cards by perforations. In general it is considered that such prior devices are unsatisfactory for comparatively mass use for any one for a variety of reasons. One very important factor amongst these reasons is the cost of such devices. Another important factor is the problem of alignment in case the device is of such a character as to require precise alignment of the parts or areas to be removed from a tabulating card with holes, openings or the like in the device.

Description An object of the present invention is to provide new and improved devices or pad assemblies for use in removing parts or areas of tabulating cards which are separated from the remainder of such cards by perforations so that only selected parts or areas of such cards are removed. Another object of the present invention is to provide pad assemblies of this type which are extremely simple in their construction, which are comparatively inexpensive and which are extremely effective for use for their intended purposes.

These and further objects of the present invention as Well as many specic advantages of it will be more fully apparent from a detailed consideration of the remainder of this specification and the accompanying drawing in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a pad assembly of the present invention showing a tabulating card in position upon this assembly for the removal of parts or areas from the card which are separated from the principal portions of the card by perforations;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view taken at line 2-2 of FIG. l; and

FIG. 3 is an enlarged detail, with .parts broken away, of the pad after removal of the part from the card.

Those skilled in the tabulating card field will realize that the pad assembly shown in the accompanying drawing is primarily intended so as to clearly show for eX- planatory purposes the nature of a presently preferred construction falling within the scope of this invention. They will further realize that a number of different changes may be made in the precise pad assembly shown through the use or exercise of routine engineering or design skill without departing from the principles of this invention as set forth in the appended claims.

The actual details of this invention are best more fully explained by referring to the accompanying drawing. Here there is shown a device or pad assembly 10 of the persent invention including a base 12 and a pad 14. The base 12 preferably has front and back ends 16 and 18, respectively, and connecting trapezoidal shaped parallel sides 20. These ends 16 and 18 and the sides 20 support a flat top 22. This top 22 in turn supports the pad 14.

The pad 14 is comprised of an elastic layer 23 and a felt layer 24. The elastic layer 23 is secured to the top 22 in a conventional manner, as by the use of an adhesive (not shown). Similarly, the felt layer 24 is secured to the top of elastic layer 23 in a conventional manner, as by the use of an adhesive (not shown).l The elastic layer 23 contains internally a plurality of air or gas cells or pockets which may be either separate from one another or inter-connected. This elastic layer 23 can be easily created from a variety of known materials such as foam rubber, various polyurethane materials or the like which are well known. Preferably the resiliency and elasticity of the pad are such that it can be pushed down so as to be very thin in one area without the dimensions of the remainder of the layer changing, this area being roughly an inch or less in diameter.

The felt layer 24 is made of conventional feltable fibers. Wool and rabbit hair are well known felting bers, but in some cases a certain amount of fill in material of other fibers can be mixed therewith as a thinner to lower the cost. Furthermore, some especially treated synthetic bers have a limited felting capability, and in specialized cases these may be used. The felt layer 24 serves two critical purposes. The first critical purpose is to delay the spring back into the horizontal plane of the elastic layer 23. When the spring back is delayed, the punched out portions are not immediately thrust back up against the lower side of the card. Thus, they are not reinserte-d in the opening created by the punch out. However, due to the resiliency of the felt layer and the elastic layer, the upper surface of the felt layer 24 eventually, in a few minutes, returns to a substantially flat configuration. The second significant thing about the felt layer 24 is the fact that it tends to hold in place the punched out portion. Thus, the punched out portion does not slide beneath the card so as to cause a raised portion which could inadvertently aid in the knockout of another perforated area.

During the use of the device a tabulating card such as the card 26 shown in the drawing is located upon the pad 14 so that substantially all of the card is supported by this pad. The card 26 contains parts or areas 28 which are separated from the principal body of the card 26 by perforations 30. When the card 26 is located in this manner any of the areas 28 may be removed from thecard 26 by bringing a stylus 32 against the center region of the area 28 to be removed and pushing the stylus 32 generally toward the base 12. This will have the effect of severing the area 28 along the line of the perforations 30 as the area 28 being removed is forced into the pad 14. As this occurs substantially all of the card 26 is supported in its original position so that it is not apt to be bent or otherwise mutilated. If an area 28 is not completely separated by this operation it may be easily removed from card 26 by manual operation when the card 26 is removed from the device 10.

In order to improve the utility of the device for various uses such as voting and the like the top 22 slopes towards the front end 16 as shown. Preferably this top contains adjacent to the front end 16 a depression 34 extending the length of the pad 24. Various areas or parts 28 removed from the tabulating card may be easily swept into this depression 34 so as to be retained. The device 10 also preferably includes another depression 36 in the top 22 adjacent to the back 18. This depression 36 is intended to serve as a holder for the stylus 32. A slot 38 may be located within the back 18 to facilitate a stylus within the depression 36 being grasped.

Those skilled in the tabulating card field will realize that the device or pad assembly 10 is a very simple, inexpensive structure which may be easily and conveniently and satisfactorily used for its intended purpose. Because of the nature of this device 10 and the fact that it is susceptible to modification through the use ofA routine engineering skill this invention is to be considered as being limited solely by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pad assembly for use in removing parts of tabulating cards which are separated from the remainder of such cards by perforations which comprises:

a base having a rigid, at supporting surface,

a pad of substantially uniform thickness located on said base so as to be supported thereby and secured to said surface, said pad comprising an elastomeric layer secured to said base and a felt layer secured to said elastomeric layer,

said pad having a substantially at exposed surface,

the thickness of said pad being related to the dimensions of parts to be removed from a tabulating card to be employed with said assembly so that the said pad is at least thick enoughl to allow said parts to be pushed into said pad a suicient distance to separate said parts from said card,

said pad being sufficiently elastic so that during the removal of parts from a tabulating card said card is supported by said pad without significant deformation and movement, said pad having a suficiently slow spring back that a removed part is retained generally below said surface for a significant length of time.

2. A pad assembly as defined in claim 1 wherein said elastomeric layer of said. pad is composed of a cellular elastomeric material, and said felt layer is composed substantially of felted fibers.

3. A pad assembly as defined in claim 2 wherein said surface slopes downwardly from the back of said base to the front of said base and including means for retaining separated parts of tabulating cards on said base adjacent to the front of said base.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,923,452 2/1960 Holovka 225-93 3,054,544 9/1962 Partington 225--93 WILLIAM W. DYER, JR., Primary Examiner.

JAMES M. MEISTER, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A PAD ASSAMBLY FOR USE IN REMOVING PARTS OF TABULATING CARDS WHICH ARE SEPARATED FROM THE REMAINDER OF SUCH CARDS BY PERFORATIONS WHICH COMPRISES: A BASE HAVING A RIGID, FLAT SUPPORTING SURFACE, A PAD OF SUBSTANTIALLY UNIFORM THICKNESS LOCATED ON SAID BASE SO AS TO BE SUPPORTED THEREBY AND SECURED TO SAID SURFACE, SAID PAD COMPRISING AN ELASTOMERIC LAYER SECURED TO SAID BASE AND A FELT LAYER SECURED TO SAID ELASTOMERIC LAYER, SAID PAD HAVING A SUBSTANTIALLY FLAT EXPOSED SURFACE, THE THICKNESS OF SAID PAD BEING RELATED TO THE DIMENSIONS OF PARTS TO BE REMOVED FROM A TABULATING CARD TO BE EMPLOYED WITH SAID ASSEMBLY SO THAT THE SAID PAD IS AT LEAST THICK ENOUGH TO ALLOW SAID PARTS TO BE PUSHED INTO SAID PAD A SUFFICIENT DISTANCE TO SEPARATE SAID PARTS FROM SAID CARD, SAID PAD BEING SUFFICIENTLY ELASTIC SO THAT DURING THE REMOVAL OF PARTS FROM A TUBULATING CARD SAID CARD IS SUPPORTED BY SAID PAD WITHOUT SIGNIFICANT DEFORMATION AND MOVEMENT, SAID PAD HAVING A SUFFICIENTLY SLOW SPRING BACK THAT A REMOVED PARTS IS RETAINED GENERALLY BELOW SAID SURFACE FOR A SIGNIFICANT LENGTH OF TIME. 